Though herbalists weren’t legally allowed to diagnose, treat, or prescribe to patients, they could certainly provide advice on various herbs and herbal remedies to clients. It was a fine line and one not necessarily monitored as closely as it should be.

Her partner removed the top from his beer and tossed it in the trash can. “Maybe she took her mother to Huntsville or some other place.” He sipped the beer.

“Mom?”

Kerri looked up to find her daughter at the door, looking startled. “I thought you were watching a movie.”

“Hey there, little Devlin,” Falco said as he came back to the island to lean against it. “I almost didn’t recognize you without your weapon.”

Tori cut him a look. “I’m not a Devlin; I’m a Jackman.” Then to Kerri, she said, “It’s late.”

It was a few minutes past nine. It wasn’t that late. “We still have more work to do. Did you need something?”

“Dad has been trying to call you.” Her arms went around her waist, and her chin jutted out defensively.

Could they not have one evening without this discussion? “I’ll call him back in the morning.”

“Whatever.” Tori spun around and disappeared.

“I’m kinda getting a complex here, Devlin,” he said. “The LT doesn’t like me. Now your kid doesn’t like me.”

“Don’t feel too bad. I don’t think she likes me either.” Kerri shook off the intrusion and focused on the case. It was sad when a homicide investigation was more appealing than a conversation with your daughter. “Let’s go over the old car thing again and that housekeeper we’re going to reinterview.”

“The neighbors—the Chapins—specifically the wife, noticed an old car parked next to the Abbott driveway last week. She called it a jalopy. Old four door. Midsize. She couldn’t tell me the make or model. Just that it was old. Blue in color. Kind of rusty. Her housekeeper, Cowart, looked as if she wanted to say something but was afraid to speak up.”

Oftentimes when a detective tried to follow up with neighbors, no one would be available. The longer an investigation went on, the more people would lean that way. Everyone feared being accused or somehow dragged into an investigation—even those who were smart enough to know better. Some would never shake the belief that the cops just wanted to solve the case even if they had to create a suspect.

“Maybe the car belonged to someone doing yard work or household maintenance for the Abbotts,” Kerri suggested.

He shrugged. “That’s very possible. Chapin didn’t know. I asked if she had noticed anything unusual, and that was her answer.”

“We should talk to Ms. Jenkins about this too.” The Abbotts’ housekeeper would surely have noticed anything odd about someone parked right outside the gate.

“Too bad none of the neighbors have security cameras that reach that particular spot.” Falco sipped his beer. “For such high-end neighborhoods, they’ve got low-end security systems.”

Having security video footage might very well have made this investigation a lot easier. Luck like that rarely happened outside television. Kerri felt her frustration rising. “We need something to give the LT tomorrow before the press conference.”

“You mean besides the truth that we have nothing significant?”

“Besides that, yeah.”

How could they have been at this for three days and have nothing?

“What’s your daughter so upset about?”

Startled by the sudden change of subject, Kerri met his gaze, held it for a moment. Reminded herself that he was her partner. A partner whom she had decided she might actually like. “She wants to go to New York and spend the summer with her father.”

He held her gaze for a long assessing moment. “You don’t want her to go.”

Kerri shrugged. “I’m torn. He lives with his fiancée.”

“The other woman,” Falco guessed.

Kerri nodded. “But the real problem is that he likes to play games. He’s not good at what he perceives as losing. My having primary custody is bugging him. He will use our daughter to make himself feel better, and then who knows what will happen?”

Not exactly the sort of personal information you wanted to share. It was late. She was tired and aggravated. Running on empty.

“Damn. No wonder you’ve been tense.”

She glowered at him. “What does that mean, Falco? I haven’t been tense.”

“Yeah, you kind of have been.”

“Whatever.” She started to gather the pages back into the folders. “It is late. We should call it a night.”

“Sometimes you’re better off without what you thought you needed.”

She stopped, stared straight at him. Their working relationship had smoothed out more quickly than she’d expected, but the personal stuff was still a little touchy for her. Especially when it related to her daughter and her failed marriage. “Don’t pretend to know what I need.”

He shook his head. “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about me.”

Unable to keep her curiosity at bay, she surrendered and gave him her undivided attention.

“I thought I needed a wife and kids,” he continued. “That’s what most people want, right?” He shrugged. “But some people shouldn’t have wives and kids. Some people are better off alone. They don’t have the goods to make people happy. If you can’t make people happy, you shouldn’t tie them to you. Maybe your ex was smart to leave. Maybe he did you a favor. He couldn’t make you happy, so he cut and run.”

Obviously, she was too tired to be reasonable, or she would never in a million years have found logic in his words. “I’m not sure my happiness was ever his primary concern. Anyway, as soon as the press conference is over in the morning, we’ll talk to Cowart and then Jenkins. See if we can find out about this jalopy and whatever the housekeeper needs to get off her chest.”

He tossed his empty beer bottle into the trash. “I’ll be here at seven thirty sharp.”

She started to argue but decided against it. So far she had no complaints about his driving skills. As long as he continued that way, she could live with him driving. Gave her time to think about the case and to search for info.

She followed him to the door. “Good night, Falco.”

On the stoop he turned back to her. “Night, Devlin.” He took two steps and stopped again. “For the record, your ex is an idiot.”

Kerri laughed. “Yeah, he is.”

She watched Falco drive away before she closed and locked the door.

After turning out the lights, she picked up her cell and headed for the stairs. She had four missed calls from her ex.

He could wait until morning.

18

I am not afraid.

I tell myself this over and over.

But it’s not entirely true. I thought this would be the easy part. But there are emotions tearing at me that I cannot afford to feel. I cannot grieve. Grief is for a loss. You cannot grieve losing something that was never really yours. You should not grieve when most of the events that have transpired are necessary to what comes next.

But not all were necessary. Fury burns through me, overriding the unexpected grief.

Even worse, I discovered that I did make another mistake. I left something important. If it has been found . . . no, I can’t think that way. Not yet. I will find a way to make this right. The rest is almost ready. One by one, I work the ropes. Back and forth. Back and forth. The time is near.

I am ready for this to be done.

This place is dark, and it smells very bad, but it is the one place no one will think to look. I brought the things I would need very early that morning. A quick trip here, then back home. If he woke, he would assume I had gone for my usual morning run. At that hour there was little or no traffic. Nothing to get in the way of my careful planning.

I did not anticipate the enemy making a preemptive strike. I was forced to deviate from my plan before this place was fully prepared, before I had checked to see that nothing was forgotten. Still, I will manage.

You see, the one person who understands the relevance of this place died long ago. A strange feeling goes through me as I consider her. I am here just as she was, and that part is disturbing on so many levels. But I have no regrets.

She loved me. I do not doubt this. She loved the one who came before just as much. She was more cautious with me. I had to pull information from her. She kept much to herself until the bitter end.

She is the reason I cannot fail. I must finish this. For her. For both of them.

I have waited and prepared so long for this moment. Sometimes it overwhelms me when I look back. For that reason, I rarely look back.

No matter the unexpected twists and turns that have occurred, I will not fail.

There can be no turning back now.

19

Saturday, June 9

9:00 a.m.

Birmingham City Hall

North Twentieth Street

The press conference was held outside city hall.